The three weeks
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The Three Weeks are days of mourning commemorating the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem within Judaism. Jewish law forbids taking a haircut or shaving or listening to music during this time. No Jewish marriages are allowed during these three weeks because that would involve too much joy at a time when Jews are traditionally supposed to mourn for the destruction of their ancient temples.
The three weeks start on the seventeenth day of the Jewish month of Tammuz — the Seventeenth of Tammuz — and end on the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av — on Tisha B'Av. Both of those days are fast days.
Nine days prior to Tisha B'Av are The Nine Days of more intense mourning. During this time, animal meat is not eaten (fish is permitted), wine is not consumed, freshly laundered clothes are not worn and, under Ashkenazi custom, warm baths are not taken. Sephardic tradition adheres to the latter of these observances, regarding garments and bathing, starting the Sunday before Tisha B'Av and dispenses of them on years when the fast falls on Sunday.
Many congregations refrain from meat until the day after the fast.
See also
Events
- Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
- Solomon's Temple
- Babylonian captivity
- Second Temple
- Herod's Temple
- Siege of Jerusalem (70)
- Destruction of Jerusalem
- Jewish-Roman wars
- Western Wall
Related Holidays
| Jewish holidays | |
|---|---|
| Shabbat | Rosh Hashanah | Fast of Gedalia | Yom Kippur | Sukkot, Hoshanah rabbah and Shmini Atzeret | Simchat Torah | Hanukkah | Tenth of Tevet | Tu Bishvat | Fast of Esther & Purim | Fast of the firstborn | Pesach (Passover) | Counting of the Omer | Lag Ba'omer | Shavuot | 17th of Tammuz, The three weeks & The nine days | Tisha B'Av | Tu B'Av | |
| National holidays of Israel | |
| Yom HaShoah | Yom HaZikaron | Yom Ha'atzma'ut | Yom Yerushalayim | |